In this Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 photo, Zendi Solano, center, trains with running club members Rian Barrett, second from right, and Richard Chen in Pasadena, Calif. Dr. Robert Sallis says some patients may not be aware that research shows physical inactivity is riskier than high blood pressure, obesity and other health risks people know they should avoid. As recently as November 2012, a government-led study concluded that people who routinely exercise live longer than others, even if they're overweight. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

COLORECTAL CANCER

Stool sample a reliable test

A colonoscopy may be the gold standard of colorectal cancer screening, but a review of the latest research by Kaiser Permanente researchers has revealed that a simple stool test that can be done at home can detect the vast majority of cancers.

The test, called the fecal immunochemical test, or FIT, is the newest, most sensitive form of stool sampling. It detects small amounts of blood in the stool, which is a potential sign of colorectal cancer or bleeding precancerous polyps.

In the largest and most comprehensive review to date of FIT studies, Kaiser researchers examined 19 published studies conducted between 1996 and 2013. The studies involved eight different FITs and more than 113,000 patients.

They found the FIT could detect about 79 percent of colorectal cancers and correctly identified about 94 percent of patients who do not have cancer. People who have a positive FIT need a colonoscopy to determine whether they have cancer or precancerous polyps.

Despite public health recommendations, about a third of Americans aged 50 to 75 have never undergone any form of screening for colorectal cancer, which claims more than 50,000 lives a year.

Using the FIT, patients can take a stool sample at home and send it to a lab for analysis. It is recommended annually. Colonoscopies, which examine the entire colon, are typically done every 10 years while a sigmoidoscopy, which is limited to the lower colon, is recommended every five years.

EXERCISE

Survivors show way to outrun breast cancer

Running is better than walking - at least when it comes to breast cancer survival.

According to new research from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and reported in the International Journal of Cancer, exceeding the recommended 2.5 hours a week of moderate exercise, especially running instead of walking, may increase survival rates.

The study followed 986 breast cancer survivors as part of the National Runners' and Walkers' Health Study. What it found was that 33 of the 714 walkers and 13 of 272 runners died from breast cancer over nine years.

Examined separately, there was significantly less mortality among those who ran rather than walked, according to researchers. That group, who on average ran 2 1/4 miles a day, was at 95 percent lower risk for breast cancer mortality than those who did not meet the 2.5 hours of recommended weekly exercise, the research showed.

"If I were a breast cancer survivor, I would certainly consider running or some other vigorous exercise over walking," said Paul Williams, head of the study. "And I wouldn't just be doing the minimum, with the consequences and potential benefit being so great."

After completing two years of the oral immunotherapy study, 20 peanut-allergic children and adults were able to eat one 4-gram serving of peanuts daily without having a major allergic reaction.

The patients then were asked to stop eating peanuts for three months. After that period, they were once again given a small amount of peanut powder. For 13 of the 20 participants, the allergy returned, leading researchers to conclude that regular exposure to peanut products could suppress peanut allergies.

"This might help us tell people if they can safely go off of immunotherapy, or if they need to continue to eat the food every day," said Dr. Kari Nadeau, senior author of the study. "The test could also help researchers determine whether some individuals would benefit from longer courses of immunotherapy."

- Stacy Finz

BRAIN CELLS

Fast-acting brain cells

Brain cells that control our movements go into a measurable state of anticipation just before we make a conscious decision to move, according to new research by Stanford engineers.

But when we make sudden, unplanned moves - catching a ball thrown at us by surprise, for example - the brain cells skip that anticipatory state and go straight into action, the same research found.

The findings may help scientists develop better high-tech devices, including prosthetic hands and arms, that can be controlled by the brain.

The Stanford work was done on monkeys that were trained to reach for a target on a display screen. Scientists recorded brain cell activity of the animals when they were trained to wait for a command to touch the target, and then when they were told to touch the target as soon as they saw it.

In both circumstances, the first sign of neural activity came when the animals saw the target. When the animals had to wait before touching the target, those brain cells entered a phase that scientists described as a state of readiness. But when the animals were trained to immediately touch the target, their brain cells skipped that readiness phase.

Scientists said they were surprised by the results because they had assumed that brain cells always went through a pattern of "ready, set, go" - even when a movement was unplanned.

SLEEP

Quality rest could lower risk of falls

A lack of sustained, quality sleep can put older adults at increased risk of falls, which are a significant cause of severe and disabling injury, according to researchers at California Pacific Medical Center.

They studied more than 3,000 men age 67 and older. The subjects' sleep was recorded both through objective measurements - including devices to monitor the number of minutes they slept and how often they woke up through the night - and through subjective reports.

Over a year, the men also reported how many times they fell.

Compared to subjects who had healthy sleep patterns, men were more likely to suffer a fall when they got five or fewer hours of sleep a night; they had fragmented sleep; they had periods of low-blood-oxygen levels while sleeping; and they reported feeling excessively sleepy during the day.